Current Tobacco Use:
26%
Men
Source
18%
Women
13%
Boys
Source
13%
Girls
POPULATION:
3.5 million
ADULT TOBACCO SMOKERS:
615,000
ANNUAL DEATHS CAUSED BY TOBACCO:
5,100
Source
3.5 million
615,000
5,100
Data are necessary to implement and evaluate effective tobacco control policies. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) is a global standard for systematically monitoring adult tobacco use (smoking and smokeless) and tracking key tobacco control indicators.
In Uruguay, the National Statistics Institute under coordination by the National Program for Tobacco Control of the Ministry of Public Health conducted GATS Round 1 in 2009 and GATS Round 2 in 2017.
GATS Uruguay 2009 and 2017
*Comparisons are significant at p<.05; Difference is larger than can be reasonably explained by chance and therefore reflects a true difference.
There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The sole intervention that can fully protect people from the health dangers of secondhand smoke is creating environments that are completely smoke-free without any exceptions.
Uruguay became 100 percent smoke-free in 2006. Before this policy was in place, Uruguay had partial restrictions on smoking in public places. The new ban included prohibiting smoking in public and private workplaces.
To promote the legislation, the government launched the “A Million Thanks” campaign, where over 1 million signatures were collected which thanked smokers for respecting smoke-free environments.
When informed of the risks, most tobacco users want to quit, but few get help and support to overcome their dependence. There are several evidence-based supports that can increase the chance to quit successfully.
As part of the nation’s Tobacco Control law in 2008, Uruguay mandated that all health care providers offer smoking cessation support to their customers. Additionally, Uruguay is integrating both public and private health care organizations into a unified national health system, which will aid its citizens in receiving advice through primary care physicians.
-GATS Uruguay 2017
Effective health warning labels provide health messages directly to tobacco users, which raises awareness of their health risks and increase the likelihood that they will reduce tobacco use or quit altogether.
Since 2005, Uruguay has implemented several tobacco control measures (including 80 percent graphic warning on the front and back of the cigarette pack and the Single Presentation Requirement that limits each cigarette brand to just a single variant or brand type). In 2010, Philip Morris International filed a lawsuit alleging these laws violated a Bilateral Investment Treaty. In 2016, Uruguay won the litigation and the country serves as an example for others around the world that are fighting against the tobacco industry.
To strengthen Uruguay’s tobacco control policies around warning about the dangers of tobacco, Uruguay’s president, Tabaré Vázquez, announced on 6 August 2018 that starting in February 2019, the country would mandate tobacco products be sold in plain packaging. This will make Uruguay the first country in the Americas to require plain packaging.
-GATS Uruguay 2017
Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) increase tobacco use. Comprehensive TAPS bans have shown to reduce tobacco consumption.
In 2014, Uruguay completed its ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship by implementing a new ban on tobacco product promotion and display at the point of sale.
GATS Uruguay 2009 and 2017
*Comparisons are significant at p<.05; Difference is larger than can be reasonably explained by chance and therefore reflects a true difference.
The most effective way to reduce tobacco use and encourage tobacco users to quit is to raise taxes to increase the price of tobacco products.
Uruguay has a tax structure based on fixed reference prices that are set by the government and adjusted approximately every 6 to 12 months to keep pace with inflation.
GATS Uruguay 2017
